- Ketupa lactea
Bubo lacteus
Identification
66–75 cm (26-29½ in)
White oval disk face with a black border, pink eyelids, orange eyes and two feather tufts on their ears. Dark brown on top and light grey below.
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa.
Taxonomy
Bubo vs. Ketupa
The genus Ketupa as traditionally defined is embedded within the traditional genus Bubo, while genus Scotopelia may be embedded within the Ketupa group of species, or perhaps is sister to this clade. One solution is to move all species to Bubo, which was done by some checklists in the past. Another solution is to move some species from Bubo to Ketupa, which is the solution currently favored by both the IOC and Clements checklists, and here also implemented in The Opus. The current composition of Ketupa can be seen in the genus page Ketupa.
This is a monotypic species.[1]
Habitat
Savanna and woodland; often in large trees near streams and rivers.
Behaviour
Nocturnal.
Diet
The diet includes hares, mongoose and small game animals, Great White Egret, Grey Heron and Secretary Bird. They are one of the very few birds to feed on hedgehogs.
Breeding
Breeding takes place from March to September. Two eggs are laid and incubated by the female for 38 days. She remains on the nest for the entire incubation period while the male hunts for food for both of them. The chicks fledge at nine weeks but may remain with the parents for up to three months.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Verreaux's Eagle-Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Verreaux%27s_Eagle-Owl
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
